Magnolia's fingers trembled around the edge of the wax-sealed letter.
The seal was unmistakable gold, with the snarling wolf of the Rhodes bloodline carved into its face like a brand.
She didn't open it in the hallway. Not under the cameras. Not with Carlton standing like a statue ten feet away, pretending not to watch. She nodded once, tucked the paper into the inside pocket of her coat, and walked away.
The corridors of the Callahan estate twisted like a maze ornate, silent, and far too symmetrical. Every painting was of a man in power. Not a single woman. Not a single Luna.
The East Wing was quiet when she returned. Her room was exactly as she'd left it untouched, cold, too perfect. Magnolia locked the door, drew the curtains, and pulled the letter out with shaking hands.
She broke the seal.
The paper inside was thick. Crisp. Expensive. It smelled faintly of smoke and cedar.
Ms. Blake,
There are always options.
My son believes he can control the outcome. That you are desperate, and therefore predictable. But I believe in leverage. And you, Magnolia, are leverage yet unclaimed.
You've spent your life crawling out of graves other people buried you in. Let me offer you something better than a coffin with silk sheets.
A real future.
Meet me. No guards. No witnesses.
Midnight. West Conservatory. Don't be late.
S. Rhodes
She read it twice. Three times. The words were written with deliberate arrogance, the tone clipped and confident. This wasn't just an invitation it was a challenge.
She had no idea what he truly wanted.
But she already knew one thing: Sterling Rhodes was never a man to extend a hand unless it was meant to become a leash.
The conservatory was in the forbidden wing the western side of the estate, Rhett's domain. She wasn't permitted there unless summoned. The thought made her stomach twist.
Still… she dressed.
No cameras. No noise. She slipped out barefoot, padded down darkened halls like a shadow. Her wolf stirred faintly, ears twitching beneath her skin. Not from fear but from instinct.
The West Wing was colder. Taller. Every hallway lined with glass walls showing moonlit gardens outside. The conservatory door stood at the very end half-covered in ivy, locked by spell or sensor during the day.
It opened for her.
Sterling Rhodes stood inside, sipping amber liquor from a crystal glass, his back to the window, his silhouette cut from shadow and old dominance.
He turned when she entered.
"On time," he said, with a slight smirk. "You always were obedient, even when your blood boiled."
Magnolia didn't move closer. "You blackmailed me out of your son's life. You threatened my family. You're the reason I disappeared."
Sterling chuckled. "Let's not rewrite history, darling. I offered you clarity. I told you you'd ruin him. And look he's the most feared Alpha in the country. You left, and he rose. Sounds like I was right."
"You broke him."
"I prepared him."
Magnolia's jaw locked.
Sterling gestured to a second glass already poured. "Drink?"
"No."
"Wise. You always were smarter than your parents. Too bad you inherited their loyalty."
"What do you want?"
He took a slow sip, eyes glinting in the moonlight.
"To offer you the real contract."
She stiffened.
"I'll make this simple," he continued. "Marry him. Stay the year. Play the part. But when the term ends… leave. Publicly. Dramatically. I'll write the script. The world will see you as the poor, broken Luna betrayed by her mate. Rhett takes control of the company with sympathy points. You get your house, and a bonus large enough to buy five more. No questions asked. No further use for each other."
Magnolia's throat burned. "And if I say no?"
Sterling smiled. "Then you become a problem. And I don't like problems."
She stepped forward. "Why are you so afraid of me?"
His smile vanished.
"I'm not," he said coldly. "I'm afraid of what you mean. You're the piece of his past he can't erase. The only thing that makes him weak. And weakness… has no place in the Callahan empire."
He reached into his coat and handed her a second envelope. "The revised contract. Take your time. But don't take too long."
She turned on her heel and left without another word.
Back in her room, she collapsed onto the bed, shaking. Her wolf paced inside her, restless, agitated. Her skin prickled with unease.
It was happening again.
She was being cornered. Controlled. Handed a script and told to play the part.
But this time… something inside her refused.
She shoved the contract into the fireplace and lit a match.
Flames devoured the paper.
She watched until it turned to ash.
Then came the knock.
Not firm. Not hesitant.
Just… quiet.
She opened the door.
Rhett stood on the other side, sleeves rolled, jaw tight, eyes storming.
Neither of them spoke.
"I know you met him," he said.
She held his stare. "And?"
"He doesn't speak for me."
"Then why am I being offered a contract to betray you for a second time?"
Rhett exhaled sharply, stepping into the room. "He's testing you."
"Well, he'll be disappointed."
"I'm not."
Silence.
He looked around her room still pristine, untouched. He saw the charred remains in the fireplace. His eyes flicked back to her.
"I never stopped looking for you," he said, voice low. "I just stopped believing you'd come back."
She turned her face away.
"I didn't come back," she whispered. "You dragged me here."
He moved closer. Too close.
"I wish you hadn't signed that contract."
"Then why did you give it to me?"
"Because I didn't trust myself to ask you the real question."
Her breath caught. "And what's that?"
He hesitated.
Then, quietly: "If I asked you to stay… without terms… would you?"
Magnolia stared at him, heart thudding.
But she couldn't answer.
Because in the corner of the room, on the window ledge, tucked in the shadow behind the curtains another envelope had appeared.
Same gold seal.
Same threat, rewritten.
You can burn the paper, Magnolia.
But the fire is already lit.